Cherry Berry Chia Jam

This Cherry Berry Chia Seed Jam is a simple way to enjoy homemade fruit jam without the gelatin. You just need fruit and chia seeds!

I’ve been itching for chia seed week to start, pretty much since the Tropical Chia Parfait from a hot minute ago. Because if Chia Pets were the entertainment of childhood, then the ultra-absorbent ability for chia seeds to thicken anything is the entertainment of present day Sarah. Oh and also sprouting chia seeds. Coming home from work and seeing a new micro-forest of chia babies. That too. I’m not difficult to entertain.

So unsurprisingly, this Cherry Berry Chia Jam made for one party-starting Saturday evening. I took two routes, a cooked route and a raw route. The raw route actually came first because, well, that’s less steps between now and jam. But I was curious how a cooked fruit jam would compare. And they actually were pretty different in taste.

The raw tasted just like strawberries + cherries, fresh and fruity with an insy bit of sour. I ran the fruit through a food processor for the raw version, which made for a less chunky jam. The google machine tells me that this makes it a jelly. Whatever.

The cooked jam had a deeper, sweeter flavor, closer to the flavors you might get in a baked fruit pie. Cooking also broke down the fruits to where they were just mushy enough to not need a run through the food processor and just chunky enough to have some tasty fruit chunks intact.

The winner? Cooked. But it’s still good raw if you don’t have time or are on the raw diet or don’t have electricity or whatever. PS: Does anyone know how to pit cherries? In a manner that doesn’t leave your countertop looking like a cherry murder crime scene?

Cherry Berry Chia Jam

This Cherry Berry Chia Seed Jam is a simple way to enjoy homemade fruit jam without the gelatin. You just need fruit and chia seeds!

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Course: Dips, Sauces, and Salsas

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chia seed jam, chia seed jelly, vegan jam

Diet: Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Raw, Vegan, Vegetarian

Occasion: Christmas, Easter, Valentine’s Day

Time: 15 minutes or less, 30 minutes or less, 45 minutes or less

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Total: 15 mins

Servings: 16 tablespoons

Calories: 9kcal

Author: Sarah Bond

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INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup pitted and halved cherries
• ½ cup hulled and roughly chopped strawberries
• 1 Tbsp honey or sugar to taste
• ½ tsp lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds

INSTRUCTIONS

Cooked Fruit Chia Jam

• Cook: Mix together fruit and honey then cook in a small stockpot over medium heat for about 10 minutes, mashing with a fork or spoon to break down the fruits into a juicy mush.
• Thicken: Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly, then mix in lemon juice and chia seeds. Set in fridge and allow the mixture to thicken.

Raw Fruit Chia Jam

• Blend: Place fruit and honey in a food processor and pulse until you reach a smooth (but still with a few chunks of fruit) consistency.
• Thicken: Mix in lemon juice and chia seeds. Set in fridge and allow the mixture to thicken.

NUTRITION

Serving: 1Tbsp – Calories: 9kcal – Carbohydrates: 2g – Protein: 0.3g – Fat: 0.3g

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